Asnuntuck Students Get Their Own Gallery Space

A new gallery at Asnuntuck Community College is giving students a place to display their work through a series of solo exhibitions.

The humble space had been a hallway leading to an outdoor courtyard. But with brightened lighting and the right amount of art, it's now a special place, said Michael Demers, the coordinator of fine, performing and digital arts at the college in Enfield.

"It gives students an opportunity to exhibit their work in a context outside of the classroom, which is huge," said Demers, an assistant professor of art. "They have to make all of the decisions that go into this."

The new space, marked by a large, can't miss, blue sign hanging from the ceiling, is small but it's just what the students need, Demers said. It's on the first floor of the main building of Asnuntuck.

"Every aspect of this space is dictated by the student," Demers said. "The success of the show is really on them. They've got to hang the show themselves, they've got to produce their own promotional material."

The gallery debuted this semester, with the first show opening on Feb. 24. Colleen Pauluh, an art student from Enfield, recently had a display in the gallery.

"If you're going to major in art, this is an additional experience for you as an artist," Pauluh said. "It lets you look at your whole body of work. You have to decide the theme. My work is very diverse, so it was a challenge to go through and pick a coherent volume of work."

Pauluh, who described her art as new media, had a variety of digital prints and paintings hanging on the walls. She also had a video contribution playing at the end of the hallway.

"I am very psyched to be in here," Pauluh said. "Art, in general, in an academic situation can be swept under the rug. So when you bring attention to it and it gets positive feedback, it's really important."

Pauluh even sold a couple of her pieces because of the gallery, always a big event for an artist.

Demers said that the experience was valuable to Pauluh's growth as an artist.

"This is 100 percent Colleen's exhibition, top to bottom," Demers said. "She's now had a solo exhibition at a state institution, and that's really important."

There will be between six and eight different exhibitions in the gallery space in coming semesters. Currently on display is an exhibition by student Victoria Oliver. When that ends on April 11, Alex Samson will begin setting up his display, due to open April 14.

"We didn't have any problems filling the spots," Demers said. "Students want to use this space. Why wouldn't they? It's a really great opportunity."

Asnuntuck has six different studio art classes that Demers said consistently fill up with 25 students in each class.

"We clearly have students who are interested in being creative and exploring new media outlets," Demers said.

The new gallery comes in addition to the larger student art exhibition, which will open with a reception on April 30 at 4 p.m.. Demers said that's also a good opportunity to experience an art show, but doesn't come close to having your own.

"That's one kind of environment and this is something else completely," Demers said. "It's really empowering for students and it really validates students."